Terrible walkies

Its been a gorgeous day so whilst the OH was stuck inside doing DIY, I decided to test out Shéara's new "FRIENDLY" colour coded harness, lead and collar (which are fab by the way).

We started by going the field where I let him off and he chases his ball, along comes a lab and they were playing fine. Ive never heard a woman scream for her dog to come back as loud as she did. I shouted over they were fine, she took no notice, grabbed her dog, put him on his leash and walked off. I meet another lab as i crossed into another field, playing fine off the lead, Shéara jumped up and the owner panicked, put his dog on the leash "they dont seem to like one another, bye". Then i meet a setter who was very submissive anyway so Shéara nudged her to say "come play" the setter barked and didnt want nothing to do with him so we walked on. I met a guy walking a puppy greyhound who was really flighty, before i could ask him if he wanted to let them play, he was off.

Ive had enough of these dog walkers around here. No one is interested in socialising their dogs! I thought his new gear would put people at ease but no. Rant over

It's horrible when stuff like that happens. Hopefully, you'll meet some sensible people on the walks in the future.

I find the coding leads rather pointless tbh, but I am sad you have had a pretty bad walk ><

I hope so

Its going to be even worse when the rotty comes to visit next month, walking them together....people will avoid us like the plague!!

I dont expect people to stop and read his harness but if i let him off and say he runs over to another dog, it may put the owner at ease seeing that it says friendly. Thats my theory anyway. I feel more confident letting him off with that harness on than the other. He's doing really well with his recall so im hoping he wont just run off to other owners and their dogs anyway.

He shouldn't be running off to other dogs though sorry to sound like a bore, you don't know the temperament of theirs and what if he runs to another dog on a harness which is unfriendly?

Thats true. I only let him off in this particular field when theres no others about. I dont LET him run to other dogs or people, but IF he got completley distracted one day and he was off before i could get him back on the leash then hopefully the harness would help.

Again I find them pretty pointless but each to there own.

Keep practicing the recall, and yes at the end of the day even a well trained dog can suffer from selective deafness!

Ive noticed a difference tonight as well. we have been in the park at 18:30 each and every night all through the winter, rain sleet or snow. but as its getting lighter more and more people are turning up and we are just clipping the tail end of there walks. tonight peed me off when a couple dragged there little ball of teath away from my two and gave me the crappiest of looks because my two were play fighting like they ALWAYS do. they are always leaded in public so what there judgmental problem is I dont know. also in the woods today everyone was out with there brats for some kind of easter event, some of the looks we got made my blood boil... if they were out dragging there kids about when it was minus ten and 2 foot of mud i wouldnt care but who the hell do they think they are to turn up in the woods and look at us like we shouldnt be there..... gah I think Im gonna end up having words sooner rather than later

I sympathise and empathise with you Kita.

With only a few exceptions, I've found that most people these days just don't want their dogs to socialise - not even puppies. I don't think it's even particularly a breed thing either, I've seen people with dogs like Westies and KC spaniels, for instance, when meeting on a walk call their dogs to them "come here, come here", putting them on leads and dragging them by the collars - anything to avoid their dog interacting with another dog (so they can get their walk over and done with as quickly as possible?)

It's very sad - it wasn't so bad 20/30 years ago, honestly.

Think i might have to explore a little furthur than the field so i can meet other walkers. Why are people so worried these days!!

I had my first staffie 18 years ago, I have said before I am very shocked and saddened by the difference in people's reaction to my Stafford today!!! My boy is friendly, not boisterous, just sniffs bums and wags his tail, people are terrified he's gonna eat their dogs!! The owners tense up, this makes their dog wonder what's up and react with fear/ aggression, and then the snapping starts. My boy has not snapped back once at any dog, he's polite and well behaved, and it REALLY REALLY annoys me!!!! Yes, he has big teeth, lots of muscles and a wide mouth, but we must must must get back to judging by deed not breed, or things are going to get really bad!!

These stories all make me a bit disheartened - we all know our dogs are lovely, it's just a shame that other people can't see past their own insecurities.

On a plus note, I took Milton into Pets at Home on Thursday to get him a new toy. As we walked in, a lady was walking towards us with her little girl (about 8-9 years old). I expected her to pull the kid away, but she didn't, she looked at him, smiled and said to her girl "What a lovely looking Staffy" to which she replied "Yes, and the one behind it" - I smiled back and thanked them, glanced behind to see a lovely little Staffy pup on a lead. Restored my faith in people a little bit.

I know how you feel. It took ages for Loki to learn some manners with dogs, and that's because, although he meets lots of dogs, he never gets to play with them except a handful of times. Everyone we pass either is too busy, or doesn't understand the idea of dogs play-fighting, so they get worried and leave. It's stupid. There's only one owner we see regularly who understands it and would let Loki play with his dog, but now they've both decided they'd rather lick each other than play . It's a shame that so many dog owners don't understand how important it is. I started joining a dog walking group and it's helping, maybe you could find something similar in your area?

Agree about not letting him run up to other dogs though. I know he's friendly, but the other dog might not be, and even if it is, not all dogs react well to a dog running up to them (nor people, for that matter). Loki is friendly but I watch my surroundings for other people/dogs like a hawk just in case

Sorry to hear you had a bad one. I wish people would read the harnesses, it would make my life a lot easier.

How do i go about finding a dog walking group?

Just been for another walk, saw numerous dogs, even a staffy of its lead, still no luck. They passed me one by one and the staffy was put on the lead and they left. Pffft

kita90 wrote:How do i go about finding a dog walking group?

Just been for another walk, saw numerous dogs, even a staffy of its lead, still no luck. They passed me one by one and the staffy was put on the lead and they left. Pffft

Ask at your local vets or check the noticeboard in your local pet shop

Thanks! Definitley worth a shot

Not the best of walks but I think we all experience it. Hope the next one's better!

The next one was definitley better!! We went to a place called Newburn, a popular place for dog walking, and we met loads of dogs and children

However, Shéara met a labrador who was very submissive, this is the 3rd time with a lab..hmmm.

Glad it went much better!

We got Bailey the FRIENDLY collar some time ago, after a bad experience we had. And we have found it a quite a positive thing.
We have found a lot more people are stopping to chat and introduce their dogs once they have seen the collar: ok, we also tell them he's friendly as we approach him ( usually after seeing them pull their dogs away from us).
But it’s also a good talking point, which gives their dog time to have a sniff and play with Bailey.
He now has about 3 regular dogs that he plays with at the beach, who we met after having a talk to their owners about the collar.

HOWEVER, the down size is that Bailey has taken a great dislike to a white Boxer; he snarls and pulls on the lead whenever we see him. I’m quite sure there would be a fight if he was off lead, its VERY embarrassing when he has his friendly collar on. Luckily enough the owner is a friend of mine who gives me a wave and walks the other way, also this is the only dog Bailey has ever shown any aggression to.

Hello.

I relate so much to your post.

I too try to wear "friendly" clothes or to make sure Rupert is wearing "friendly" collars and colours.

I think as Staffy owners we have to accept that we are walking prs for the breed. Not only do the dogs themselves have to be immaculately behaved but I find I have to be super friendly and relaxed if only to take the edge off other dog owner's anxiety. I find that walking my dog in the park early mornings on weekdays is a complete pleasure - you get all the other dedicated owners out there who obviously spend a lot of time with their dogs and want them to get a lot of exercise (i.e. play with other dogs) before they go to work.

However, on weekends or, say, today, on a bank holiday it can be nightmarish. Is it very judgmental of me to say that labrador owners are (or can be) the worst? This morning I had a family walking their lab and when lab and my staff started playing the mum immediately said, tensely: "Can you get your dog away from my dog?" Bizarre. I am still thinking about the perfect comeback for these situations: something that puts people in their place, makes them think and is charming at the same time.

I do find that when I am slightly smartly dressed it does make a difference. Especially when I am using public transport (although I still get bus drivers lying to me saying dogs are banned from buses when they are not).

I also find that when I am in a good mood, generally things go better in the park anyway. I suppose I can understand other people's paranoia, especially when my dog is behaving like a kangaroo, hopping all over the place. But I do think that a lot of owners don't bother reading any dog training books or at least they don't know about socialising their dogs. Also, you get a lot of people on weekends who have their dogs walked by someone else during the week and haven't had that much experience with their dog coming into contact with other dogs.

I think your post shows that you want to make an effort, and want the best for your dog and that you understand your dog's needs. You will get there in the end. Sometimes it's just a question of your dog finding another dog that it clicks with - that reassures the other owner and after a while things start going really well. People think Staffies are guilty until proved innocent. That's just the way it is. But there are good dog owners out there. I also wear a lot of primary colours, so I look "approachable."

I walked gary yestarday and had him on a recall lead to help him on his recall ( which i released him fully today and he came back when called up on which im over the moon about )

well back ontopic, i had a family walk around the corner at my local nature park where i blatenly heard a woman say get him on his lead theres a staffy ahead, to which the bloke put his dog on the lead and took a massive wide birth. I was absoloutly fuming, the only thing stopping me from opening my mouth was im well aware of the SBT reputation and the reputation of the owners ( my self im young, i was wearing a Stoke City FC Hoody and because im in the forces i have short hair ) so to somebody that doesnt know me or my dog i can appreciate sort of why peoples first impressions are the worst.
I walked past them and gave them a curtisy " Afternoon" whilst gary was walking past paying no attention with his tail waging as usual.

Thank fully most the people where i walk my dog are absoloutly fine letting gary have a sniff then walking on. most of them have more than two brain cells and can read that my dog just wants to play.

We are very lucky!
We walk him up to the cricket club.By the time we get there he has done his businessand its ball time.We virtually always meet someone else. Bruce has 2 boxer friends, 2 king charles, a terrier type dog and a lab! The exeption is an elderly gent that has a collie that is very anti social.He keeps him on a lead though and we just keep half a lap of the field between us.Bruce has been growled and snapped at numerous times by dogs, he has never retaliated.
I have found that most dog owners are fine , its the others that make stupid comments !

That's so disheartening People can make you feel awful... I hope he gets to find some friends to play with soon!

janey wrote:

He shouldn't be running off to other dogs though sorry to sound like a bore, you don't know the temperament of theirs and what if he runs to another dog on a harness which is unfriendly?

I think this is a very valid point. A while a started a thread on here titled something like ' should we let our staffies of the lead' an overwhealming response was that yes if they are friendly etc etc. The point I was trying to discuss then is that if a dog (any breed) is friendly but will run over to the nearest dog regardless of its owners calls, should it be off the lead? If the in question here was attacked by a dog that is on a leed and under control. Which owner/dog is then to blame? I think we would all agree that if viewed by others or if it were reported on in anyway. The staffy would get the brunt of the blame. Personally, all the staffies I have ever had have always been on the leed, they have an extendable 8m lead for fields etc. This is partly because all mine have always been rescues and only one has ever been a puppy. None have ever been DA but have taken randon dislike to other dogs on walks, this may be from inadequate socialsing from whoever had them before. I feel, strongly, that for safegarding the breeds reputation as much as possible at the moment keeping them on a lead and garunteeing that I have 100% control, which is the only time anyone will ever have 100% control of their dog. I agree that other breed owners will benefit from seeing a staffy playing with their dog. Then the owners will decide from there if they wish for them to play together. is there an argument that always seeing staffies on a leash would give the wrong impression? i dont know?
Sorry if this sounds righteous in any way. It is not meant to be and I do not have problem with responsible owners letting their staffies of the lead. Just a thought.

Oh and I always make the point to any dog owner that makes a point of putting their dog on alead or crosiing the road of asking them ' oh, is your dog not friendly, thats a shame' pathetic I know, but I do smile.

Making a rod for your own back in my opinion.. Sorry guy's your dog is friendly but still unpredictable.. you can never be completely sure of his reaction.. as some have said they bark and snarl at certain dogs.. It could just be that one time your dog approaches someone with a dog and they recognise the collar but your dog snaps at them.. Wearing the friendly collar does not make them immune to good behavior all the time.. I wouldn't wanna take the risk myself..

Richardspencer wrote:Oh and I always make the point to any dog owner that makes a point of putting their dog on alead or crosiing the road of asking them ' oh, is your dog not friendly, thats a shame' pathetic I know, but I do smile.

But that might well be the case and the owner may be very afraid of the dogs getting together, they may worry that you wouldn't be happy if there dog was aggressive to your dog.. you got to put yourself in there shoes too to get the whole picture.. Difficult nut to crack.

pag wrote:

Richardspencer wrote:Oh and I always make the point to any dog owner that makes a point of putting their dog on alead or crosiing the road of asking them ' oh, is your dog not friendly, thats a shame' pathetic I know, but I do smile.

But that might well be the case and the owner may be very afraid of the dogs getting together, they may worry that you wouldn't be happy if there dog was aggressive to your dog.. you got to put yourself in there shoes too to get the whole picture.. Difficult nut to crack.

Perhaps you are right. Its these occasions where my back goes up and maybe I should just ignore it. Fair point

Yaaaaaay! Just been for a walk and met two gorgeous labs, Shéara was dying to play so i asked the guy if i was ok to let him off and he said yes... ive never seen him tear around so much, he loved it! Recall was good but it proved difficult to seperate them even when we walked our seperate ways so back on the leash it was

Pleased with my pooch

Great news always great to watch them play Xx